Which gear to take on holiday?

[gs.davies]

Hi all, newbie here - great site and a great forum!

I'm hoping to improve my skills through practise, practise and more practise, but I could do with a bit of help..

I'm off on holiday in a couple of weeks to Northern France and am wondering which gear I should take.

My gear is:

Canon Digital Rebel XT
Canon 50mm f1.8 (latest lens which I'm really enjoying)
Canon 18-55
Canon 18-55 IS
Canon 28-90
Sigma 55-200
Cheap Tripod

I can't really cart all this gear about with me and I'm undecided about which lenses to take. All of these lenses are second hand and have been given to me or bought cheaply, except the prime - I'm averse to going down the 18-200mm route, particularly as I'm getting such good results with the 50mm and the 18-200's add such a lot of bulk to the camera.

I'm considering aiming for three lenses to cover the holiday (and everything else really) - the 50mm, a 17-85 IS and a Tamron 70-300. I'm missing the experience to know which are most useful, so if there's any thoughts that people could share, I'd like to hear them.

Many thanks,
Gary

[OsmosisStudios]

Im unsure as to whether you want suggestions for your current gear, or if you want suggestions as to what to get to replace it. Either way, I'll suggest one.

If you want to go with what you currently have:
Sell the old 18-55 (non IS) and the 28-90. You've got those lengths covered already with better.
Bring the 18-55 IS, 55-200 and 50mm

If you want to go with something to replace the lot:
Dont bother with the 17-85: its not great. Its certainly no better than your 18-55IS.
Mid-range: 15-85 f/3.5-5.6 IS and either a 70-200 f/4 or 70-300 IS, along with the 50mm
High-end: 17-55 f/2.8 and either a 70-200 f/4 or 70-300 IS
If you go the 70-200 f/4, I'd STRONGLY suggest getting one with IS.

[RichardTaylor]

I totally agree with OsmosisStudios